Giro d’Italia King of the Mountain and stage winner Julian Arredondo will lead a strong Trek Factory Racing squad to take on the fourth and final edition of the Tour of Beijing, beginning Friday 10th October.

 

The Columbian climber soloed to victory on the ascent of the Rifugio Panarotta to win stage 18 of this year’s Giro, having escaped from the breakaway at the ascent of the final climb. Having already claimed the maximum King of the Mountain points from the day, the victory was the finest of the 26-year-old’s career.

 

No stranger to winning in Asia, Arredondo was the 2012-2013 Asia Tour champion and has previously ridden to victory at the 2013 editions of the Tour of Kumano and Tour de Langkawi

 

With the Tour of Beijing parcours again toughened up, the Trek Factory Racing squad includes three climbers more than capable of making an impact on the general classification.

 

Arredondo will be joined by Croatian Robert Kiserlovski who has ridden solidly all season, netting top-10s at the Giro d’Italia and Tirreno-Adriatico. Austrian champion Riccardo Zoidlhas also impressed, riding to a strong third place on the queen stage of the tour of Utah in August.

 

Firepower won’t be in short supply, with young former Herald Sun Tour winner Calvin Watson providing support on the climbs and the experienced New Zealander Hayden Roulston also on hand. Brothers Boy and Danny Van Poppel should ensure Trek is well represented on the flatter stages. Former Portuguese Under 23 road and time trial championFabio Silvestre could be the team’s wildcard. Roulston already has a classification jersey in hand from last year’s Tour of Beijing, taking out the inaugural Panda of the Mountain prize at Panda Corner in 2013.

 

Trek Factory racing general manager Luca Guercilena said the team was keen to finish off 2014 on a high but also to continue to promote the team in important markets like China.

 

“The Tour of Beijing is an important race for our team. Not only because it's the last chapter of the WorldTour but also because it's a great showcase for cycling in general and our team in particular in Asia. Trek is a global player in the bike industry and we are committed to racing hard all over the world,” Guercilena said.

“Our team for Beijing is strong and we hope to do well. The course looks very challenging, especially for someone like Julian Arredondo, so we hope he will deliver.” 

 

The 2014 Tour of Beijing will be held from the Friday 10th to Tuesday 14th October as the last event on the UCI WorldTour calendar. The five day, 764.5 kilometre route provides for opportunistic racing and takes in breathtaking views of the Great Wall, Beijing’s mountain terrain and embraces key tourism attractions such as Tiananmen Square and the Bird’s Nest.